Artists' renditions of the girls...

[Magdalen]

Never really picked my dolls because of the drawings, but looking at them now I really like the artist who did Addy. Don't care much for the Molly art. I like the Felicity artist (even if the proportions are off at times, ie legs are waaay to short).

[American_Mommy]

I am trying to want Molly... I am reading her stories now. Between the drawings and her attitude, I am having a lot of trouble wanting the doll. I am only in book 2, maybe it gets better?

[Katie from IL]

I do think Molly's illustrations are an improvement from the first ones, however I think Molly's is prettier as a doll. Actually, I think all AG dolls are pretty. Molly was my first AG doll, because I fell in love with her story. However, the fact that she wore braids was a similarity to my own childhood in the 1980s, even though I didn't have bangs until I was 13.

I think I was drawn to Molly for several reasons. For starters, one of my personal heroes is Anne Frank, and being Jewish I hear a lot about the Holocaust from synagogue and Hillel(Jewish college club) and things like that. As for Molly herself, besides the braids and similar hair color(except my hair was never straight-always wavy and thick), we both grew up in suburban IL, we both have little brothers that are 4 years younger, and we both missed our dads like crazy. The big difference was that Molly's dad came home at the end, and I would always cry when reading that part because I knew that would never happen to me. My dad died of a heart attack suddenly when I was only 16.

[cami713]

I love the illustrations. I'm not sure I could pick a favorite, but I love Lissie's and Kirsten's and the original ones for Sam and Addy. Josefina's and Kit's are also wonderful. Molly's are my least favorite, and although Kaya's illustrations are gorgeous, I still haven't read her books, so they don't mean as much to me.

Dan Andreasen, did Lissie's and the new Sam ones. Although I don't care much for the newer Sam ones (they give her a more conventional beauty instead of the more natural look in the originals, imo), I love his Lissie ones, and think Sam is still quite pretty in the new ones, and I much prefer the newer Nellie.

I really dislike the new Addy ones, they seem more cartoony and cutesy. I loved her original ones, I thought she, like Sam, was much prettier in the first ones.

Kenshin, I also thought Marta was simply gorgeous with her long hair in an inside-out french braid. Elizabeth works well as a stand in [img]wink.gif[/img] .

American_Mommy, Although Molly is definitely my least favorite of the historicals, I think her books do get better as they progress. Her 3rd, 4th, and 6th are my favorites. Don't give up on them yet!

[Nethilia]

I fell for Josefina through her pictures. She looks so warm and open in them.

I actually prefer some of the new pictures; I don't like the original Molly ones, and Addy's old ones are blotchy in some of her books and I like the new ones more.

[thepidget]

Diamond Dragon--I am so deeply sorry to hear about the loss of your father. It must be such a shock to lose your dad when you are so young. [img]frown.gif[/img]

As for the illustrations... Wow, I can't believe how many people dislike the Molly illustrations by Nick Backes. He's actually my favorite illustrator out of all of the books, and he makes Molly look so loveable and cute (to me, anyway). He's a huge improvement over the first Molly illustrator.

I also like the original Samantha and Addy art better than the current pictures we are seeing in the books. I was actually very disappointed in the current Addy pictures when I saw them, especially when I compared them to my older copy of Addy Learns A Lesson.

[danaspillar]

Thank you so much Julia for posting that link. I was just about to ask if someone could scan some of the various illustrations. I only have the Molly hardcover collection book. It's amazing how different the original Molly illustrations look!

[American_Mommy]

Wow. Thank you for the link to the site with the pictures. I love C.F. Payne's illustrations! That is her. That is Molly. She does not look so.. well, mean. I love all of the different facial expressions in these pictures. They help so much. Seeing her face in these pictures actually makes me think differently about some of the things I have already read.Her cold, mean expressions in the books I have make everything she says and does come across more harsh. These pictures make her seem like a real little girl. Thank you.

[Joyfulone]

Yes thank you Julia for the link!

[mayergirl]

Thanks for the links to the cover comparisons, it got lost in my favorites, lol. I'm in tears over what they did to Addy's illustrations, and I'm so glad I have the earliest available illustrations for all of the girls. I find it strange that so many people dislike Nick Backes's illustrations for Molly, and like the C.F. Payne ones. I've always (since I was little) hated the C.F. Payne illustrations, and loved the Backes ones. Molly always looked so...normal in them to me. Samantha and Felicity were both a little off putting at first because they were so beautiful, but Molly looked real to me. I just wish they never would have changed Addy's. The new ones look cheap.